Watch: No More Traffic Jams With China’s New Straddling Bus

Part subway, part bus, a mass transporter known in Chinese as the “bus-way” went on show in Beijing earlier this month.

The vehicle, which is designed to run on track embedded in the roads, can transport up to 1200 people in cabins elevated above regular traffic.

Its main appeal over traditional forms of mass transport is its cost, says project manager Bai Zhiming.

“This vehicle has the features of a subway – the ability to transport people en mass – it can carry 1200 people in one journey. But the key is its low construction cost, it’s less than a fifth of the construction cost of a subway, the construction time is also less than a fifth of the cost of a subway so it can be completed within a year,” Bai said.